Una notta a Roma

Arriving at Fiumicino from Oslo, I had approximately 13 hours to kill before my flight back across the Atlantic the next morning. What could have been an awkward period of waiting or a short, relaxing sedentary vacation at a hotel or hostel turned out to be neither. No, these few hours were meant to be savored, used to their fullest.

Locking my green backpack up at the airport, I made my way to the bus (much cheaper than the rip-off train ride from the airport) which got me to the Ostiense station by 2:30pm. 

Sure it was to be a night of people-less pictures. But it didn't matter. Tonight was a night for the soul. Of exploration. To see as much as I could. Of physical endurance. To walk as far as I could. 

I had covered the Coliseum and St. Peter's Basilica in my last visit. Without any itinerary, I resolved to wandering. Consistent with my philosophy, I refrained from taking pictures inside churches. And in this blog, I've spared you the cliche pics of the Trevi fountain, Pantheon, and Spanish Steps.

Fountain in front of the Pantheon

 

Ignorant of the Roman landmarks, I turned what seemed to me an ordinary street corner only to be surprised by this larger-than-life brilliant white feature: the seat of Italian government, Capitoline Hill

"I pini di Roma" (the pines of Rome): To capture the signature trees of the Roman forum and Capitoline hill; specifically, it is Pinis pinea, or "stone pine" or "umbrella pine", and is the type that produces pine nuts

Crossing back over the Tiber to Trastevere

On Gianiculum Hill, "Roma o morte" (Rome or death)

View of the impenetrable Castel St. Angelo from Gianiculum Hill

3:00am  The bricks of St. Peter's Square rest after another day of trampling

Turning around, a capture of Via della Conciliazione, the avenue given by Mussolini to the Vatican to mark their cooperation. Also empty except for the homeless sleeping in the crevices provided by porticos along the avenue

Marking the end of a memorable three months' trip to the country of my ancestors, I took the Ponte di Vittorio Emanuele II (bridge). It was 4am.  Legs sore.

Norwegian Wood (this bird has flown)*

*song title changed from "knowing she would" by Lennon/McCartney; set in a medieval church mode called mixolydian; title later used for Murakami's novel.

Yes, it is a year and a half after the fact, but if I never finish this, I'll go crazy.  Two posts remain - that of my week in Norway and of my 10-hour embarkation on Rome while I waited for my early morning flight home.

Norway's naval history is like none other. After retirement, these viking vessels used as burial containers for chiefs. They were found buried inland (not near the coast).  

 My pictures do not do it justice, so I've omitted the images I took at the museum containing the Fram, the wooden vessel which carried Norwegian explorers to the North Pole - and the first to do so.

Remnants of less preserved viking ship.

Weekend trip to Kine's family cabin some hours north of Oslo - with Simen, Marianne, and Kine. "Our cabin is in Gudbrandsdalen (that's the valley below, where the main road from Lillehammer to Trondheim, E6, goes). More specifically, it's situated by Musdalsætra, which is where the farmers from the valley brought their cows in summer. You can also say that it lies right in the middle between the alpine ski resorts Hafjell and Skeikampen (the second of which we have a great view to from the cabin)."

Plenty of hiking and levitating around Oslo

 Oslo is a harbor and the capital, and the most accessible "big" city I've ever traversed. The city is surrounded by three concentric roadways, the outermost being a highs-speed thoroughfare. Public transportation within the city makes sense. But biking from one end to the other is easy and sensible too, as I found out using K-A's brake-less bike.

And the bay in the background

Haunting sculptures in Oslo's Vigelandsparken (named after the artist) depicting Norwegian values. 

The sculpture park is part of a bigger park called Frognerparken.

The reason I went to Norway - Kine, M-A, and K-A (this was after the bean game, which preceded the barbarian game)